World War II Ten Most Important Events

Invasion of Poland Marks Beginning of WWII

Hitler blitzkrieged Poland and Russia attacked Poland from east. Hitler's troops invaded from north, south, and west. Poland awaited backup from Britain and France, but recieved very little. This marked the beginning of World War II. Because Britain and France both had pacts with Poland, they declared war on Germany.

Jul 1, 1940

Battle of Britain

Operation Sea lion was Germany's strategy for attacking Britain. The German Luftwaffe (Airforce) would attack the Royal Air Force. The UK used radar to figure out where the Germans would attack from. While the UK lost 1,000 planes, the Germans lost 1,700. The Germans bombed everything they could, but ultimately radar saved the UK from falling to Germany.

Jun 22, 1941

Germany Invades USSR Opening Eastern Front

Germanny attacked Russia in June of 1941. Hitler sent three armies into Russia to the north, east, and south. Hitler would not let his men surrender, and most of them died during the brutal winter and from starvation and disease. 91,000 men surrendered to the USSR in 1943, but only 5,000 would ever return to Germany. This attack led to the opening of the eastern front of the war.

Dec 7, 1941

Japan Bombs Pearl Harbor and FDR Declares War

Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. They attacked in two waves. The first wave was the main attack to take out ships and airfield. The second wave they would finish off whatever was left. The objective was to prevent US from influencing Japan's war effort in southeast Asia. This attack led to FDR asking congress to declare war on Japan on December 8,1941.

Apr 9, 1942

Bataan Death March and Japan takes Philippines

Douglas MacArthur was commander of US forces in Asia. He miscalculated the strength of Japan and had to retreat to the Bataan Penninsula. Mac Arthur retreated to Australia, but he left his US troops behind. Japanese took Philippines and most US forces surrendered. Japan forced US troops to march 55 miles and more than 7,000 died.

Aug 23, 1942

Battle of Stalingrad

Stalingrad was the turning point of the war in Europe. It ended any realistic plans of Hitler dominating Europe. Soviet troops forced Nazi armies to retreat toward Germany. The USSR went on the offensive after Germany's attack. This opened the eastern front of the war.

May 13, 1943

Allies Drive Germans out of North Africa

The British had been fighting the Germans and Italians in North Africa since 1940. Forcing Germany out of North Africa would provide the Allies with an opportunity to invade Italy. In 1943, George S. Patton (US tank commander) defeated Rommel (German tank commander). 240,000 Germans and Italians surrendered. This provided a way for the Allies to invade mainland Europe through southern Italy.

Jun 6, 1944

D-Day

The D-Day invasion was officially called Operation Overlord and involved landing 21 American divisions and 26 Polish, British, and Canadian divisions on a 50-mile stretch of beaches in Normandy, France. The Allies created a fake army of wood and cardboard tanks and ships to convince the Germans that the invasion would come to Calais and not in Normandy. Hitler sent his divisions to Calais and the Allies invaded France. This gave the Allies a foothold in Europe.

May 8, 1945

Victory in Europe Day

Hitler's "thousand year reich" or the third reich ended, lasting only 12 years. On May 7, Germany surrendered in a French schoolhouse that had acted as Eisenhower's headquarters. Americans celebrated Victory in Europe Day. FDR passed a few weeks prior and Harry S. Truman would see the US through the war. At this point, the end of the war was close in sight.

Aug 6, 1945

Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Three Days Later

After relentlessly bombing Japan, they would still not surrender. Truman decided to use the atomic bomb to spare the American lives that would have been lost should we have chosen to invade Japan on foot. On August 6, 1945, US pilots dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The USSR declared war on Japan three days later, and the US dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The Japanese finally surrendered.